Researchers have developed an eco-friendly method to create gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) using microalgae. This "green synthesis" avoids harsh chemicals, resulting in nanoparticles that are more stable than conventional ones. When activated by a laser, these AuNPs effectively destroy cancer cells while showing lower toxicity to healthy cells. This breakthrough promises a more sustainable and safer approach to photothermal cancer therapy and other applications in nanomedicine.

New research in Angewandte Chemie reveals the importance of abrasion within mechanochemical catalysis processes, prompting researchers to reexamine their assumed reaction mechanisms.

Scientists at Japan's Institute for Molecular Science have achieved a 1,000-fold enhancement in white-light generation inside water by using non-harmonic two-color femtosecond laser excitation. This previously unexplored approach in liquids unlocks new nonlinear optical pathways, enabling a dramatic boost in supercontinuum generation. The breakthrough lays a foundation for next-generation bioimaging, aqueous-phase spectroscopy, and attosecond science in water.

Scientists have developed a fast, energy-efficient method to create an iron-carbon (Fe/C) catalyst that can remove antibiotic pollutants from both water and soil by using oxygen from the air. The study, published in Sustainable Carbon Materials, introduces a self-heating synthesis approach that could pave the way for greener environmental cleanup technologies.

Ultrasonic testing is a promising non-destructive evaluation technique across various industries. In a novel breakthrough, researchers from Chung-Ang University have developed DiffectNet, an AI-based technology that facilitates the diffusion-enabled conditional target generation of internal defects in ultrasonic non-destructive testing. This approach significantly outperforms traditional methods, potentially revolutionizing real-time defect reconstruction and prediction in highly reliability-critical industries, including aerospace, power generation, semiconductor manufacturing, and civil infrastructure.

In recent years, neuromorphic computing has emerged as one of the most efficient solutions for managing the vast amounts of data generated by conventional information technologies. Its systems are inspired by the structure and function of the human brain, which processes information in parallel while consuming minimal energy.

A key component of this type of technology is the memristor, a novel electronic element that mimics synapses and neuronal activation processes. Current lead halide perovskite (Pb-HP) memristors perform well, but the presence of toxic lead hinders their practical application. The goal of Dr. Ignacio Sanjuán’s MemSusPer project is to develop sustainable, lead-free HP memristor devices with high performance, stability and reproducibility and low energy consumption.

The 24-month research project pursues three main objectives: to fabricate cutting-edge lead-free HP memristors with improved perovskite layer properties and quality; to test inorganic materials and new mixed organic ionic electronic conductors that enhance electrical conductivity and offer tunable electrochemical properties; and to manufacture and characterize complex, miniaturized memristor networks to assess their effectiveness.

To carry out the project, Dr. Ignacio Sanjuán Moltó will join the Active Materials and Systems Group led by Professor Antonio Guerrero at the Institute of Advanced Materials (INAM) of the Universitat Jaume I of Castelló. The group has a strong track record in memristor and photovoltaic solar cell research, as well as extensive expertise in electronic materials such as perovskite and organic photovoltaics, essential knowledge for generating and characterizing memristors.

Water is everywhere – it covers the major part of Earth, circulates in the human body, and is found even in the smallest molecular clefts. However, what happens if water cannot flow freely, but is enclosed in such structures? Researchers of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and Constructor University in Bremen proved for the first time that enclosed water can influence its surroundings and favors binding between molecules. This discovery could open new paths for the design of drugs and new materials. The researchers report on their findings in the International Edition of the “Angewandte Chemie” journal. (DOI: 10.1002/anie.202505713)